


At The End Of The Day

by Pokeluv101



Category: Servamp (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Artist Kuro, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-04-21 16:17:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14288709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pokeluv101/pseuds/Pokeluv101
Summary: After a terrible day, Mahiru broke down crying. The person who cheered him up was his reclusive neighbour, Kuro.





	At The End Of The Day

Kuro looked away from his canvas when he heard a thud in the hallway. It was past midnight and he didn’t know who could be awake so late. His common sense told him not to involve himself but Kuro couldn’t ignore the stifled tears he heard. So, he stood and walked to his door. He wiped the paint from his hands with his pants before he out peered into the hall.

There were groceries scattered in the hall and Kuro followed the trail. He didn’t have to go far to find the source of the crying. Sitting next to his door was a brunette. He recognized the man because they were neighbours. His neighbour didn’t notice Kuro’s presence as he continued to cry into his hands. Kuro debated if he should speak to him or return to his room.

They were neighbours but they only spoke occasionally as they passed each other in the hall. He wondered if he should approach him when they were merely familiar strangers to each other. Kuro remembered the day he moved into the apartment building and he knocked on his door with a tray of cookies. He had a sunny smile as he introduced himself.

“Mahiru?” He whispered his name when he pictured his smile. Mahiru jumped at the sound of his voice. He realized that he had an audience and quickly tried to compose himself. He couldn’t be more mortified that someone had caught him crying. Without looking up at Kuro, he gathered the groceries into his arms. He tried to wipe away his tear stained cheeks but he knew that Kuro already saw them.

“I’m sorry if I woke you up, Kuro. Please, go back to your apartment.” He said in a small voice. He went to pick up a melting tub of ice cream but Kuro took it before he could. Mahiru glanced up and realized that he was helping him collect the food littering the ground. Once they were finished, Kuro stood and waited silently for Mahiru.

“You have enough here to make a five course meal. This is a lot for a midnight snack. I thought my brother was a glutton.” Kuro commented with an awkward smile. Mahiru returned his smile with his own weak one. He knew that Kuro was trying to lighten the mood. He was happy that he didn’t ask him why he was sobbing. Mahiru went to open the door and then groaned to himself. He remembered why he was crying in the hall instead of the sanctuary of his own home.  

“I forgot my key and I’m locked out of my own home. The locksmith won’t be able to come until tomorrow morning. It looks like I’ll have to stay in a hotel tonight. As if my night can’t get any worse!” With a heavy sigh, Mahiru leaned against his door and sank to the ground. “I’m sorry, Kuro. Can I borrow a plastic bag or something to carry all this food? The grocery bag I was using broke. Hopefully, the ice cream doesn’t melt before I find a hotel to stay in.”

“Don’t you have some friends you can crash with?” Mahiru shook his head in answer. Kuro felt his heart tightened at the sight of Mahiru so downcast. They didn’t know each other well but Mahiru had always been kind to him. He couldn’t leave him alone after he saw his tears. “Mahiru? If you don’t mind a messy room, you can wait in my apartment until the locksmith comes.”

“That’s a really kind offer but I don’t want to burden you. I’ll be okay on my own.” They didn’t know each other well so Kuro wasn’t surprised by his answer. Mahiru tried to smile to reassure him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very convincing and Mahiru ended up staring at the ground again. He seemed stubborn so Kuro decide not to push him.

“I’ll get a bag for you to carry all this food.” Kuro walked back to his own apartment and Mahiru followed him. He didn’t want anyone else in the building to find him crying in the hall. The moment he stepped into Kuro’s home, his jaw dropped to the ground. He never knew a house could be so cluttered. It looked like a hurricane had rampaged through the home.

Kuro didn’t seem to be ashamed or fazed by the mess as he set the groceries on his cluttered counter. He opened a closet and a random assortment of things tumbled out. He shifted through his closet until he pulled out a recyclable bag. “I think this bag should be big enough to carry everything. If it’s not, I should have another bag around here. Somewhere.”

“Somewhere? How can you find anything in here? Much less live in this chaos! I can’t believe I’ve been living next to a landfill without knowing it. There has to be more ramen cups on your floor than on a store shelf.” Mahiru gawked at him. He took off his shoes to be respectful but he was wary of the trash on the floor. He immediately began to pick up the chip bags.

“Umm… What are you doing, Mahiru?” Kuro asked hesitantly.

“Cleaning. Something you obviously haven’t done in a long time. You’re a grown man so you must be able to pick up after yourself, Kuro.” Mahiru chastised him lightly as he searched the room for a garbage bin. He found it beneath that sink that was filled with dirty dishes. He rolled his eyes and looked over his shoulder at Kuro. “Can you put my groceries in your fridge while I wash these?”

“I thought you were going to stay in a hotel.” Kuro almost wished that he had waited outside while he fetched the grocery bag for him. He wouldn’t have to listen to his lecture then. He never knew that Mahiru was such a neat freak. At least he seemed to have forgotten what had made him sad earlier. With that thought, he went to put away the food.

Mahiru was muttering to himself and Kuro guessed that he was complaining about the mess. Even though he didn’t tell him to clean anything, Kuro felt a little guilty. After he filled his refrigerator, he stood next to Mahiru and helped him with the dishes. “You know, you don’t need to bother with these. I don’t really mind if my house is a little messy.”

“A little messy is not how I would describe your house. I can’t sleep in a nice hotel room knowing that you’re going to sleep in this clutter. Thinking simply, I’ll stay the night and help you clean your apartment a little. Sorry for intruding though.” Mahiru said.

“I already said that you can stay over for the night.” Kuro shrugged. He rinsed the plate Mahiru handed him. When they were finished with the dishes, Kuro gestured to the hall. “If you’re going to sleep over, you can take my bed. The first door on the right is my room. I’m going to stay up late because I have to work. So, I’ll just crash on the couch when I’m finished.”

“I’m the guest so I can’t kick you out of your bed.” Mahiru said as he dried his hands. He intended to organize his living room and sleep on his couch. “Look, Kuro, I’m in no mood to argue with you on this so please let me use your couch. I already feel terrible for taking advantage of your kindness. I’ll even make you anything you want for breakfast to thank you.”

Kuro remembered how upset he was earlier and decided to give in. “You win. Then again, a free breakfast makes me feel like the winner. I’ll get some pillows and blankets for you. Do you want to borrow some clothes? You can’t possibly be comfortable sleeping in jeans.”

“If it’s not too much trouble, thank you.” Mahiru found himself truly smiling for the first time that night. He thought that his day was going to end terribly but Kuro’s kindness had saved his night. While Kuro disappeared into his room, Mahiru went to clean the living room. He gathered the garbage into a plastic bag to throw away. He was careful not to invade Kuro’s privacy as he cleaned.

Then he came across a canvas in the living room, set next to the couch. Mahiru forgot the mess and stared in awe at the painting of a cat playing in a garden. It was half-finished yet it was still beautiful and took his breath away. The bright colours of the flowers were simple but they complimented each other wonderfully. His talent showed in each careful stroke. He stepped closer to see the detail of the painting.

Mahiru was taken aback when a shirt fell over his face. He pulled it off his head and turned to face Kuro. He didn’t appear angry that he was staring at the unfinished painting as he said, “These might be a little big on you but it’s better than nothing. I’ll get those pillows and blankets for you now. You can change in the bathroom down the hall.”

“Wait, Kuro. Did you paint this? It’s beautiful.” Mahiru looked from the painting to Kuro several times.

“That’s nothing much. My deadline’s coming up so I’m staying up late to finish it. The light might make it hard for you to sleep so my offer to take the bed is still open. I really don’t mind sleeping on the couch, Mahiru. I’ve been sleeping there for the last three nights.”

“That’s all the more reason you should be the one to sleep in the bed. You’re going to ruin your back if you spend one more night on the couch. Go or else I’m giving you another lecture about being a responsible adult.” Mahiru’s lighthearted threat made them both laugh. He patted Kuro’s shoulder before he went to change. “Thank you for everything, Kuro. You’re a great guy.”

Kuro caught himself watching him leave and blushed. He placed a blanket and pillow on the couch. Then, he sat in front of the canvas again and picked up his paintbrush to distract himself. With his newly cleaned apartment, he found that it was easier to work. He layered paint over the cat to add more details into its fur. Kuro worked for a while until he heard the door open behind him.

He saw Mahiru step out of the bathroom. His t-shirt was a little large for his lean body. Kuro forced himself to turn away and focus on his painting. He was glad that Mahiru didn’t seem to notice his blush as he went to stand next to him. He peered over his shoulder to admire the painting. “You are truly talented, Kuro. I never knew that you were an artist.”

“We never really talked before now. You should go to sleep. I’ll be finished soon so you don’t have to worry about the light much longer.”

“Oh, I’m sorry if I’m bothering you while you’re working. It must make you uncomfortable to paint with someone looking over your shoulder.” Mahiru stepped away from him and hoped that he hadn’t made things awkward. He settled himself on the couch and rested his head on the pillow. He tried not to stare at Kuro but the expression he had while he worked was compelling.

“Hey, Mahiru, can I ask you a question?” Kuro suddenly asked him. He put away his paintbrush and looked back towards Mahiru. He was still a little curious about how he found him in the hallway. “I know it’s not any of my business but… Did someone make you cry?”

“Not exactly. I had a terrible day,” Mahiru sighed. They were both surprised with the admission. But Mahiru found that he felt comfortable enough with Kuro to tell him. “Today was supposed to be my day off and I wanted to have a relaxing day at home. But my friend set me up on a blind date with some ass. I neither asked nor wanted him to set me up. I couldn’t cancel the date last minute.”

“A guy like you is single? You’re nice and cute. The cookies you gave me when you first moved in were delicious too. I don’t see why someone wouldn’t want to date you. Do you have some flaw or over protective father that’s keeping potential suitors away?” The compliments naturally slipped out of him. Kuro blushed when he realized what he said.

Mahiru smiled back at him though. “I only have a punny uncle. He raised me after my mother died and he’s a great person. Like everyone else, he’s asking me when I’m going to bring someone home. The reason I haven’t dated much is because I want to focus on my job. Relationships takes a lot of time and effort. I wanted to wait until I meet someone nice.”

“I’m guessing your blind date wasn’t that.”

“Hardly! I’ll admit that it was partly my fault for being late though.” Mahiru sat up so he could face Kuro and speak with him easier. He rested his chin in his hand and said, “I was supposed to have a day off but then my co-worker got sick and asked me to cover. Saturday is our busiest day so I said yes. So, I spend my day off being yelled at by customers. Then I was late for a blind date I didn’t even want to go on.”

“Why didn’t you just call your friend and explain things to him? I’m sure he would’ve understood that you were tired from work and didn’t want to go on a date.”

“Misono went through all the trouble of arranging a date with some fancy marketer guy. I couldn’t be rude. Anyways, it was supposed to be a simple date. We’ll talk, have a drink and maybe dance. Even if I didn’t want a relationship with the man, I thought it would be fun to meet a new friend.”

“You’re one of those social butterflies, aren’t you?” He pointed his paintbrush at him. He accidentally smudged paint onto his cheek and quickly apologized. Mahiru burst into laughter and shook his head. He tried to rub the paint off his cheek. Kuro took a napkin and gently wiped the mark. “Here, let me get it for you. I’m the reason you got dirty after all. Go on with your story.”

“Thank you,” Mahiru blushed but he didn’t pull away. He continued to tell him about his day. “As I said, I was late. That made my date very angry. He yelled at me so much that everyone in the bar was looking at us. The man is rich but didn’t spend a dime on manners. He called me an uncouth commoner for making him wait twenty minutes. He even criticized the way I ate! That had to be the worst date of my life.”

“I don’t know what uncouth means but he needs to be punched for calling you it.” Kuro rubbed his thumb over his cheek.

“By the end of that date, I just wanted to go home and have a quiet, peaceful night. I could barely eat anything on our date so I picked up groceries on the way home. I also brought three tubs of ice cream to eat away my frustration. As you can see, my night didn’t end the way I was planning. I forgot my key and was locked out of my apartment. Then my bags broke and there goes all the food I bought! After the terrible day I had, I just broke down.”

“Then you had to clean up after this lazy artist.” Kuro made an apologetic smile. “Sorry for making your day worse.”

“Sure, seeing your home almost gave me a heart attack but you listened to me complain about my day. You honestly saved my day from being terrible. Thank you, Kuro.” Mahiru yawned and he felt himself becoming drowsy. The tension and frustration he felt because of his day was gone. He wanted to talk with Kuro more but his eyes suddenly felt heavy.

A soft, slow song filled the room and he opened his eyes. Kuro had put on the song with his phone and set it on the table. Then held out his hand to Mahiru with a light blush. “I’m sorry you had a terrible date. You said that you wanted a nice talk and to dance. I’m not much of a talker but I can dance.”

“I thought we were having a nice talk.” Mahiru smiled at him. Despite how tired he was, he placed his hand in Kuro’s. He stood and Kuro swept him into a slow dance. They circled the room in each other’s arms and Mahiru relaxed into the moment. He leaned his cheek against his chest and he could hear Kuro’s heartbeat. 

At first, he was embarrassed that Kuro caught him crying in the hall. Now, Mahiru was glad that he found him when he did.

**Author's Note:**

> Lesson of the day is to snuggle with a cat if you’re having a bad day. He’ll cheer you up very quickly.


End file.
